Iron Rose Sister Ministries

Written by Marbella Parra, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Honduras

In the course of our lives, we find many promises that lead us to put our trust in someone, based on something happening in the future. There are promises we make to other people, and promises that have been made to us. Some have been fulfilled and others, on the contrary, have been forgotten. For this reason, we decide if we can trust someone or not since, after someone hasn’t fulfilled their promise, we are more careful with that person the next time.

We can surely think of many different opportunities in which we hoped in something that never happened and moments in which we felt let down because they have failed us. However, I am sure that we have also had many moments in which a promise has confirmed that we are with the right person and, at the same time, our confidence in that person grows.

If we had the opportunity to put our full trust in someone that will never fail us, that ideal person is definitely God. There is no doubt that He is the greatest example we have of faithfulness to His word. From the creation of the world, He has fulfilled all the promises He has made. The history of God’s people allows us to realize the plan that He has for the salvation of the world and the blessings for His people. In middle of that whole story, we can note the special love that God shows for humanity and how everything He does is in fulfilment of the promise that one day humans will be able to enjoy a better world—a perfect world together with Him for eternity. To that end, He promised to send a Savior, His Son Jesus Crist. This promise can be seen from the Old Testament and we can also see how each word was fulfilled in the New Testament, a promise so great that it reaches all the nations of the Earth.

In the gospel of Matthew, one can see how God’s plan was realized, shown through the genealogy of Jesus and the important role each person had, at their time, and how each one was used by God to fulfill His word. In chapter 1, it is highlighted in this way,

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”)” (Matt. 1:22-23).

These words remind us that the Lord has always been present and has shown His love for humanity. Through the incarnation of Christ, one of His most important promises was fulfilled. Even more interesting is that this promise is confirmed again at the end of Matthew. In Matthew 28:20, it says,

“…and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Twice it is stated that He is with us, and we already know that the word of God is trustworthy. We can be certain that everything that God has prepared and has promised previously will be fulfilled.

Now, the question we must ask ourselves is, are we willing to trust in Him unconditionally? If He is the one who has shown, since the beginning of the world, that He wants what is best for us, that He wants to grant us salvation, and that He wants us to be with Him for eternity, are we willing to be faithful to Him no matter what our circumstances? He does not promise us a rosy, easy life in this world. So, without considering the disillusions that we have faced, or that we will have to face while we are on this earth, are we clinging to Him, trusting that He has better things prepared for us?

It doesn’t matter how many people have failed their promises, we have complete confidence that we have a God who never lies and has made us beautiful promises.We need to not allow difficult things in life to cause us to forget what is waiting for us in eternal life. Rather, we should remember that the Lord is with us, guiding our steps, lifting us up when needed and taking our hand to lead us forward.

He is giving us unconditional love every day. If we continue to be faithful, trusting that everything we believe has not been in vain, and that an incorruptible crown is waiting for us in the presence of our Lord. In the same way that God fulfills His promises, we also should be faithful to the commitment we have made to our heavenly Father until the end of our days.

And you, do you trust in the Lord’s promises?

Written by Beliza Kocev, Brazil Coordinator for Iron Rose Sister Ministries

All you need to say is simply “Yes” or “No”; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
(Mt 5:37 NIV)

I was baptized in my late teens and was the only Christian in the family. I have a brother who is 12 years younger than me and I would take him to church on Sundays. At one worship service when my brother was four years old, he was having difficulty staying silent during the Lord’s supper and the offering... So I said, “If you don't stay quiet, we're going home!”

A dear brother, who helped me a lot in my Christian journey, turned to me and said quietly so my brother wouldn't hear, “Are you really going to go home if he doesn't keep quiet?” I replied no. He guided me on the importance of keeping my word, if I say I'm going to do something, I need to do what I committed to.

See, my intention wasn't bad; I was an inexperienced 16-year-old trying to get my brother to be respectful during the service. But I knew I wasn't going to do what I said.

One of the most amazing things about God is that He does what He says! “See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you” (Is 42:9). Prophecies give us confidence that just as He fulfilled what He promised the people of Israel, He will also fulfill what He promised us. Imagine experiencing the difficulties of being a Christian and striving to do God's will, denying yourself, without being sure that we can trust what He promised us!

God has integrity. Integrity is a moral principle. Having integrity means all your actions and decisions are consistent and honest. We can trust what He says, “For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does” (Ps 33:4).

Some characteristics of God that show us that His words are honest:

- God is True.

God is true; He is truth itself. God is absolutely trustworthy and true in everything He does.

God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Nu 23:19)

We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1 Jn 5:20)

- God is Faithful.

God is absolutely trustworthy. His words don't fail. He shows His faithfulness by keeping His promises. He never breaks a contract between Himself and His creation.

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. (Dt 7:9)

For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD. (Ps 117:2)

- God is Unchanging.

God's attributes are unchangeable— He does not change— He is not uncertain or inconsistent. He is perfect. His consistency makes His promises firm, bringing us security and hope.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (Jas 1:17)

I the LORD do not change. (Mal 3:6a)

- God is Infallible.

Infallible means that He does not fail— does not make mistakes. As God is perfect, He does not fail!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. (Eph 3:20)

I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. (Job 42:2)

My desire is that you dedicate yourself to studying the Bible more and more to discover the wonderful words of God—words of love, guidance, encouragement, comfort, and blessings— but mainly the words that bring salvation, those that introduce Jesus, our Lord and Savior, and the only way to eternal life.

Co-authored by Claudia Pérez and Edilaine Staton, volunteers with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Alabama 

The topic of infidelity in the world today seems to be "fashionable." Every day more public figures exhibit their unfaithful relationships without fear or modesty. It seems that talking about infidelity today is becoming something very "common and normal." And, sadly, infidelities can even be seen in the lives of great religious leaders and within the Church itself. This occurs when behavior outside of what is written in the Scriptures is announced or preached, being faithful to an earthly standard, rather than to the will of God.

Dictionary.com defines infidelity as unfaithfulness; disloyalty. Let us remember what the Bible tells us about infidelity; it reminds us that we have a jealous God who wants us to present ourselves as a pure virgin bride to Christ. “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him”(2 Cor. 11:2 NIV).

Let's remember the unfaithful relationship between God and the people of Israel. Israel received a warning to not bow down to any other god because Jehovah is Jealous.“Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Ex. 34:14).

Today, the question is: What are the other gods we bow to: the god of money, ego, work, confusion, lust, disbelief, etc.?

God examines hearts. Another example of an unfaithful relationship was the nation of Judah. God’s desire was for Judah to turn to Him with all her heart, but Judah did it halfheartedly. “’In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,’ declares the Lord”(Jer. 3:10).

In the next few verses, we see that God saw Israel as righteous compared to Judah, and gave Israel an opportunity to repent.

The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah. Go, proclaim this message toward the north: Return, faithless Israel,” declares the Lord, “I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful,” declares the Lord, “I will not be angry forever.”(Jer. 3:11-12)

God has always wanted us to turn to Him with sincere repentance. How many times have we had an unfaithful relationship with our God? How many times have we failed God? How have you shown your faithfulness to God? Like Israel or like Judah? God knows our hearts and will find falsehood. It is my prayer and wish that our repentance be sincere and without pretense like Israel. God forgives us and does not pour out His wrath. He will send people to us who will help us know His heart and who will feed us with knowledge and wisdom. God has given us His Church to welcome and instruct us in His Word so we may remain faithful to Him. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).

God tests people’s fidelity. Let's remember how God tested Abraham's faithfulness in Genesis 12:1-2. God was at that moment testing Abraham's trust and faithfulness. God continues to test people as He did with Abraham, however we are not always totally willing to submit to God's will. Today, fidelity to God is increasingly missing from mankind. How many people are suffering due to a lack of faith in God? They do not believe that God even exists and that ultimately leads to their ruin. Many even reach the limit of their strength and take their own lives. The Bible tells us: “Good judgment wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction”(Prov. 13:15). Infidelity leads us to transgress God's law and walk a hard and rough path.

When we decide to be wholeheartedly faithful to God, we will put aside our egos and walk together on the path that God set for us. As long as we continue to live behind the wall of our desires, we will in no way be able to understand the fidelity that God desires and we will experience an unfaithful relationship with Him. Sinful actions in our lives are evidence of an unfaithful relationship between God and us.

Malachi 3:6 reminds us: “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” Thus, our infidelity will not alter God's faithfulness, even when we fail in our efforts to be completely faithful to Him. Are you ready to leave any god that is resulting in an unfaithful relationship with the Father? Are you ready to start a faithful relationship with our God and experience His great love and protection?

Written by Michelle J. Goff, Founder and Director of Iron Rose Sister Ministries 

My youngest sister used to decorate beautiful ceramic mugs for me, but she had to stop this practice because I broke every single one. The last one, she rescued before I could break it. I never broke them intentionally. I used them all the time until my clumsiness or a very hard floor caused them to break.

Thankfully, my relationship with my sister was not dependent on the lifespan of those ceramic mugs. After we have gone through a time of brokenness, our commitment to the relationship, the covenant we have made, has actually been strengthened through the brokenness. (See thevideo on Redefined Identity that we narrated together and that illustrates brokenness.)

Still, we cry when things break. Broken relationships are more painful and evoke many more tears than broken dishes.

When my ex called off the wedding and permanently ended our relationship two and a half months before we planned to walk down the aisle, I was devastated. Not only was the relationship broken, I was broken—shattered in a million pieces and disoriented beyond a simple state of confusion. Brokenness was my constant companion for more than three years.

When a relationship covenant is broken, there are a few things that inevitably happen.

1. We lose trust in people.
2. We lose trust in ourselves.
3. We doubt our trust in God.

Single-again women, especially the divorced or separated, I’m sorry for what you are going through and please know that no matter the stage of your healing process, you are not alone! Also, please hear that you are not going crazy! Broken covenants are messy! And they are not what God has designed.

If your spouse broke covenant with you, I grieve with you. Our God can redeem anything and bring about good, even in the midst of the bad (Rom. 8:28).

If you are the one who broke covenant, please know that God’s redemption and forgiveness are possible (Ps. 103:10-13; Eph. 1:7-8).

If the breaking of covenant was necessary for your safety or that of your children, I applaud your bravery and pray that there are others nearby who are able to walk with you and support you in tangible ways (Ps. 103:6; Is. 61:1-3, 7).

Relationships are at the core of who we are and what define us. We learn and teach through relationships—and not all the lessons are positive. Sometimes we are learning what not to do or attempting to teach something we are unfamiliar with because of our past.

Sisters, one thing that I learned is that no matter how much my trust wavers, God’s love for me does not.

Three key lessons I learned through my season of the broken covenant of relationship:

1. God is eternally faithful and unconditional in His covenant (Lam. 3:22-26; Heb. 13:20-21).
2. God allows people to have free will and I must accept that (Gen. 2:16-17; Rom. 7:15-24).
3. Redemption and healing are possible, but they do take time (1 Pet. 2:24; James 5:16).

As I mentioned, a broken promise in relationship is deeply painful and causes us to doubt whether we can trust the other person in the future. My deeper doubts were whether or not I could trust myself to know whether I was a good judge of character, since I chose to be with someone who later broke his promises.

On many levels, I still respected and loved my ex—to the point that when he made his decision clear, I didn’t fight him on it, nor try to convince him otherwise. In his free will, he had chosen to end the relationship. Thankfully for us, it was before we entered into the covenant of marriage. Yet the brokenness I felt was as if he had broken that level of relationship covenant.

In time, I forgave him, but it was not something I could forget. God accompanied me in my grief. He did so through supportive friends, their prayers, then later my own. God was patient with me while I had to sit in the balcony on the furthest row from the pulpit because my pain level was proportionate to my physical proximity during a Sunday morning service.

God loved me through my obedient worship, going through the motions and not yet “feeling it.” God spoke to me through Bible verses that would appear in my social feeds, in conversations, in Bible study, or in prayer.

Over time, God affirmed a quote a friend had shared early on: “Time doesn’t heal all wounds. Time reveals how God can heal all wounds.” Amen!

Part of my healing has been a deeper level of empathy for others who have faced similar pain. The comfort I have received, I have shared with others (2 Cor. 1:3-6).

It is my prayer that God reveal His eternal faithfulness to such a degree that it overshadows any broken covenant of relationship.

Do you believe? Lord, help us overcome our unbelief.